The first section deals with the Pre-Conquest, "Ten thousand years (more or less) in a few paragraphs," followed by the rise and fall of civilizations like the Olmecs and the Maya until the "meanest sons of bitches around … the people we know as the Aztecs," after years of wandering in the desert arrived in central México and took over … that is until the Spanish arrived in 1519 and took over.

We were all sitting around sipping mezcal and (warm) beer one night which is not an unusual event in those parts when we are there, when one of our hosts, somewhat in his cups, remarked with some assertiveness, Well, everybody talks about how tough the Aztecs were and how they whipped our butts before the Spanish came along but let me ask you this.